Traditionally, protective pants assemblies such as hockey pants assemblies, which are knee-to-waist protective gear for hockey players, have been formed as an oversized pair of shorts and constructed as a single piece of equipment including several protective elements and padding.
Recently, manufacturers have taken new approaches for hockey pants. More specifically, upon recognizing the expense of such pants, and recognizing that players often play for more than one team which may have different team colors, two-piece hockey pants have been developed in which an inner pant is coupled with a removable outer shell. Thus, a player can purchase multiple outer shells in different colors to use with a single inner pant. Additionally, as most of the wear and tear of hockey pants is focused on the outer shell, replacement of only the outer shell instead of the entire pants further reduces expense.
The manner in which the inner pant is mounted to the outer shell can affect the player's mobility. For example, the player's mobility may be adversely affected by the interaction between the inner pant and the outer shell. A retaining system for coupling the inner pant to the outer shell should ideally be unobtrusive to minimize player discomfort and maximize the player's range of motion. Additionally, the retaining system should withstand impacts as they are common in hockey.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved pants assembly that offers versatility, while offering proper protection and minimizing restriction of movement.